James Harden has another monster performance; Spurs & Cavaliers both lose

Hornets (20-19) 114, Rockets (31-9) 121

James Harden continued to make his case for the MVP award with a 40-point, 15 rebound and 10 assist triple-double that showed The Beard's sheer dominance at the moment. Five more Rockets players made their way into double-digits, largely in thanks to Harden's excellent playmaking.

Kemba Walker led the resistance for the Hornets with 25 points and 10 assists while Frank Kaminsky added an impressive 22 points from the bench.

Bulls (19-20) 99, Wizards (19-18) 101

Without Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, Chicago gave it a good go against a Washington Wizards side that seemed to have turned a corner and are surging into the Eastern Conference playoffs behind a run of three straight wins. A 26-point and 14-assist John Wall double-double led the Wizards, while Bradley Beal and Markief Morris chipped in with 19 points each.

For Chicago, Rajon Rondo returned to the team with 12 points and six dimes, but rookie Denzel Valentine led the team with 19 points. Taj Gibson also had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Celtics (23-15) 106, Raptors (25-13) 114

27 Isaiah Thomas points wasn't enough for Boston as the offensive powerhouse of the Raptors took the victory on their home court. Al Horford also had 14 points and nine boards in the losing effort, and it would appear they are still missing Avery Bradley.

DeMar DeRozan dropped a sensational 41 points in addition to 13 rebounds, but Jonas Valancuinas also managed a double-double with 18 points and 23 boards of his own. Kyle Lowry nearly made it three players with a double-double with 24 points and nine assists.

Hawks (22-16) 117, Nets (8-29) 97

Things continue to get worse for the Brooklyn Nets as they sit rock bottom out of all 30 NBA teams with just eight wins this season. Brook Lopez, once again, was the sole shining light for Brooklyn as the center managed to record 20 points at the Barclays Center.

For Atlanta, Dennis Schroder led the way with 19 points, but six different players made it into double figures last night. Dwight Howard was arguably the most impressive of the bunch as he produced a 14-point and 16-rebound double-double.

Bucks (19-18) 109, Spurs (30-8) 107

The Bucks upset the Spurs at the AT&T Center last night and they did so without their young star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who only played a shade over nine minutes after suffering badly with illness. Luckily, Michael Beasley (28 points) and Jabari Parker (22 points) combined for 50 points to make up the difference.

Kawi Leonard had a fine game for San Antonio as the small forward racked up 30 points, seven boards, two assists, three blocks and three steals. However, players like Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili did not have their finest nights on the offensive end.

Cavaliers (28-9) 92, Jazz (24-16) 100

The Utah Jazz are sitting in sixth place in a congested Western Conference right now and they have surprised plenty of teams this season. The NBA champions can be added to that list after 28 Gordon Hayward points and an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double from Rudy Gobert did the damage.

LeBron James led the fightback for Cleveland with a game-high 29 points, while Kevin Love could only muster 12. Kyrie Irving did add 20 points to the cause, but Kyle Korver had a rough time on his Wine and Gold debut as he went 1-of-7 on all shooting.

Trail Blazers (17-23) 108, Lakers (15-27) 87

The backcourt of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard, as they so often do, combined to give Portland another victory and they registered 45 of the teams total points.

The Lakers truly had an off-night on the offensive end and only Brandon Ingram (11 points), Luol Deng (14 points) and Lou Williams (10 points) managed to get into double-digits for the Purple and Gold. D'Angelo Russell was one of the worst culprits, and the point guard went 0-of-7 from three-point range.

Heat (11-29) 95, Warriors (33-6) 107

Miami continued their terrible trip to the west and have now dropped three games straight, despite Hassan Whiteside producing 28 points, 20 boards and two blocks. Goran Dragic also continued his fine production with 17 points of his own.

But they were no match for Golden State. Kevin Durant led the way once again for the Dubs with 28 points, while Stephen Curry was close behind him with 24. Even with no Klay Thompson, the Warriors had more than enough to get the job done.

Pistons (18-22) 94, Kings (16-22) 100

Two of the best centers in the NBA, Andre Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins, collided at the Golden 1 Center last night, and it is safe to say the latter had the better night, certainly on the offensive end. Boogie dropped a game-high 24 points in addition to 13 rebounds and six assists.

Drummond could only manage nine points and 12 boards of his own, but he did record a monstrous seven blocks to keep the Pistons in it. The backcourt of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (21 points) and Reggie Jackson (19 points) led the offensive charge for Detroit.

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